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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: roll · vault · rush · stick · land · saw · wound · swing

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. swing — in golf
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. roll — a cake
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rush — hurry
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. wound — an injury
  13. land — ground
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. wound — an injury
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. saw — the tool
  22. vault — a safe
  23. land — a country
  24. land — to come down

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com